Former NIDR Researcher Shern Dies
Dr. Roald J. Shern, who spent 21 years with the National Institute of Dental Research before retiring in 1991, died of cancer Mar. 25 at his home in Venice, Fla.
Dr. Roald J. Shern
His career at the institute bridged laboratory, epidemiological, and clinical research, beginning in NIDR's National Caries Program (NCP) and concluding in the Clinical Investigations and Patient Care Branch of the intramural program.
Shern came to NIDR in 1970 as an officer in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. While with the NCP and its successor, the Epidemiology and Oral Disease Prevention Program, he concentrated on laboratory and clinical testing of dental plaque inhibitors. His studies helped develop tests that can be used to predict the clinical effectiveness of antiplaque agents. Shern's expertise in measuring tissue fluoride levels contributed to the development of a controlled release device that attaches to the tooth and continuously delivers fluoride to the oral cavity. He was also a collaborator with researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology on methods to improve the binding of fluoride to tooth enamel.
Born in St. Croix Falls, Wisc., Shern graduated from the University of Michigan Dental School and received an M.P.H. and M.S. in dental epidemiology from the University of North Carolina. He subsequently served in Germany as a member of the U.S. Army Dental Corps. He was the author of numerous publications, coedited a book on caries prediction, and lectured in the U.S. and Taiwan. He most recently served as a consulting editor for the Journal of Clinical Dentistry.
He is survived by his wife Marian, three sons, Chris, Thomas, and James; his mother Florence Defever, and a sister, Sandra Kotetsky.
Former NIH Driver Carter Is Mourned
James V. Carter, 77, who for 20 years was a driver for various NIH directors (Shannon, Marston, Stone, Fredrickson and Wyngaarden), died on Feb. 11.
James V. Carter
He first came to NIH in 1960 to work in pediatrics at the Clinical Center. After 5 years at the CC, he became a driver for the NIH director and spent the next two decades in that capacity, without accident or even fender bender. He retired in 1985 amid an outpouring of warmth and affection, and was described as "the Director's Ambassador of Good Will in the service of all of NIH." He is survived by his wife, Frances, also a former NIH employee.
Up to Top